Assembly of a needle and a fluid supply device and methods of their use

ABSTRACT

Assembly of a needle (1) and a fluid supply device (7b), the needle (1) being provided with needle coupling means (2), the supply device (7b) being provided with a nozzle (9b), the needle coupling means (2) comprising a standardized construction with standardized internal dimensions according to the Luer standard, the needle coupling means (2) further comprising a projection (5), which renders fitting the needle (1) to a supply device with a nozzle (7a) arranged for cooperation with needle coupling means having standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard impossible, the nozzle (7b) of the supply device (9b) being lengthened relative to a standardized nozzle (9a), such that the needle coupling means (2) with projection (5) can still be coupled to the lengthened nozzle (9b). The invention further relates to a needle (1), a syringe (7b), a method for performing an intraneural puncture and a method for preparing an insertion device for intraneural administration.

[0001] The invention relates to an assembly of a needle and a fluid supply device, the needle being provided with needle coupling means, the supply device being provided with a nozzle, the needle coupling means comprising a standardized construction with standardized dimensions according to the Luer standard.

[0002] Such an assembly is known from practice and is used for administering a medicine to a patient. This involves the medicine being introduced, with the aid of the fluid supply device, via the needle, into an administering location of the patient. The supply device can, for instance, comprise a syringe which can be coupled directly with the nozzle to the needle coupling means of the needle. Such a syringe can also be indirectly brought into fluid communication with the needle coupling means, with the aid of, for instance, a fluid tube or hose which is also provided with a nozzle. In this last manner, also a fluid reservoir such as a drip can be brought in fluid communication with the needle. The known assembly can be used in combination with other means which can be used optionally, such as for instance suction needles, filters, regulating means such as taps, and connecting means arranged to bring various fluid reservoirs into fluid communication with one needle. To that end, these means are also provided with the standardized construction with standardized dimensions according to the Luer standard, so that they can cooperate mutually exchangeably with the needle coupling means. According to the above-mentioned Luer standard, the coupling means comprise conical fittings which are provided with a 6% cone as described in the NEN-ISO 594-1 standard.

[0003] The use of the known assembly comprises different operations. First, the supply device is filled with fluid containing, for instance, a medicine. The filling is generally done by a pharmacist or a pharmacist's assistant in a pharmacy. Subsequently, the medicine can be administered, which is performed, for instance, in a sterile surgery or operating theatre of a hospital. Administration is generally performed by specially trained staff, such as doctors or nurses. For the purpose of administering the medicine, the needle is inserted into a predetermined administering location of the patient. Then, the supply device is brought into fluid communication with this needle via the needle coupling means. Finally, fluid with the medicine can be introduced into the patient at the desired location by operating the supply device. An administering location can for instance be an intramuscular, intravenous or intraneural, i.e. at least an intrathecal or intradural, location which corresponds to administration into a muscle, a vein or the nervous system, respectively. Intraneural administration can, for instance, be carried out intrathecally using, generally, a lumbar puncture needle.

[0004] A drawback of this known assembly is that it can be used for any administering location. Hence, the situation may arise that a medicine destined to be introduced in a first administering location of a patient is erroneously introduced into another administering location. Such an error can have grave, even fatal consequences. One of the most notorious administering errors comprises the intraneural administration of the medicine vincristine to be administered intravenously. A child suffering from leukaemia can be subjected to a chemotherapeutic treatment, for which, according to a certain treatment protocol, the medicine vincristine has to be administered on the same day as a second medicine, to be administered intraneurally. Then, it happens that the two different medicines are confused, so that vincristine is administered intraneurally, and the child may die. The confusion of intraneurally and intravenously to be administered medicines may already have happened during the filling of the fluid supply device, or may happen in the surgery during administration.

[0005] A proposal for a solution to this problem of confusion is known from an article of R. A. Anderson et al., published in the journal “Medical and Pediatric Oncology” 1999, pages 401 and 402, issue 32. There, the coupling means of a syringe is provided with a detachable marking element to indicate that the syringe contains a medicine which may, during administration, only be administered intraneurally. A drawback of this proposal is that different pharmacists, doctors and/or nurses of different pharmacies or hospitals, respectively, may, in practice, have come to different agreements regarding the meaning of such a marking. A different person may, for instance, use the marking to indicate that the syringe contains a medicine destined for non-intraneural administration.

[0006] According to the same article, a second solution is to provide both the needle coupling means of the needle and the nozzle of the syringe with a non-standardized, particular shape or size, such that cooperation with, respectively, a nozzle or needle coupling means having a standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard, is impossible. As a result, during administration, the confusion of two medicines is no longer possible, at least when the different syringes have been correctly filled with the different medicines. This solution has the drawback that means to be used optionally which have a standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard, such as suction needles, filters and the like, cannot cooperate with these adapted needle coupling means and nozzles. For that reason, before use, such standardized treatment means have to be replaced with new treatment means with adapted coupling constructions, which entails relatively high replacement costs.

[0007] The present invention contemplates solving the above-mentioned drawbacks of the assembly while maintaining its advantages. Hence, the invention provides an assembly with which the risk that, in use, a medicine destined for non-intraneural administration is mistakenly administered intrathecally via the needle, is very small. Further, the needle and administration device according to the invention can be used in combination with a number of other treatment means, standardized according to the Luer standard.

[0008] To this end, the assembly according to the invention is characterized in that the needle coupling means also comprise a projection which renders it impossible for the needle to be fitted to a supply device with a nozzle arranged for cooperation with needle coupling means with a standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard, while the nozzle of the supply device is lengthened relative to a standardized nozzle, such that the needle coupling means with the projection can still be coupled to the lengthened nozzle.

[0009] In this manner, a number of treatment means can still cooperate with the needle coupling means and lengthened nozzle, while cooperation of a nozzle arranged to cooperate with needle coupling means having standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard with the needle coupling means is prevented. The assembly is destined to be used for administering only one or a number of medicines in one particular administering location, and is particularly suitable for intraneural administration since the erroneous intraneural administration of a medicine which has to be administered non-intraneurally can be readily prevented.

[0010] The invention further relates to a needle provided with needle coupling means, the needle coupling means comprising a standardized construction with standardized dimensions according to the Luer standard, characterized in that the needle coupling means also comprise a projection, which renders it impossible for the needle to be fitted to a supply device with a nozzle arranged for cooperation with needle coupling means with a standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard.

[0011] By using this needle for administration in one particular administering location, it can be prevented that, via the needle, a medicine, destined to be administered in another administering location, is erroneously administered by means of the supply device with a nozzle arranged for cooperation with needle coupling means with standardized construction and dimensions.

[0012] Additionally, the invention provides a syringe provided with a nozzle, characterized in that the nozzle of the syringe is lengthened relative to the standardized nozzle according to the Luer standard, such that the lengthened nozzle can be coupled to needle coupling means of a needle according to the invention.

[0013] This syringe can still cooperate with the needle which is provided with needle coupling means comprising the projection mentioned, such that with this syringe, a medicine can be administered to a patient via that needle. Therefore, the syringe is preferably destined to be filled with a medicine to be administered intraneurally. Moreover, the nozzle of the syringe can cooperate with standardized means such as suction needles provided with a coupling construction according to the Luer standard.

[0014] What can be elegantly achieved by providing the needle coupling means with a projection is that it is crystal clear to a user that the needle coupling means cannot cooperate with a standardized Luer nozzle, while in case of cooperation of the needle coupling means with an adapted, lengthened nozzle, use can still be made of the standardized technology of the Luer coupling, in particular the 6% cone. In this manner, well-proven technology can be used for all components of the assembly, so that the assembly according to the invention can be implemented in a relatively low-cost manner and can rapidly and readily be accepted by users. When, in the pharmacy, the syringe with the correct medicine has been prepared, administration of the medicine at an incorrect administering location can presently be avoided.

[0015] The invention also relates to a method for performing all intraneural puncture for discharging neural fluid such as cerebrospinal fluid to a collecting reservoir, characterized in that a needle, provided with needle coupling means comprising a channel-shaped projection, is inserted and kept such that the cerebrospinal fluid can flow from the needle and needle coupling means through the channel-shaped projection and is subsequently collected in the collecting reservoir.

[0016] Further, the invention provides a method for preparing an insertion device for intraneural administration wherein a needle with a coupling means is coupled to a syringe, characterized in that the syringe with a relatively long nozzle is coupled to the coupling means, in fluid-tight cooperation, the nozzle passing a projection of the coupling means, this projection keeping the nozzle of a standard syringe at a distance from the coupling means, such that, when a standard syringe is used with the coupling means, no fluid-tight connection between the needle and the syringe can be obtained.

[0017] What can be prevented by preparing the insertion device according to this method, is that a medicine which is not to be administered intraneurally, is present in a standard syringe, and is still administered intraneurally, which could have fatal consequences.

[0018] Further advantageous elaborations of the invention are described in the subclaims.

[0019] The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment and the accompanying drawing.

[0020]FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a needle;

[0021]FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view along the line II-II of the top plan view represented in FIG. 1;

[0022]FIG. 3 shows a front view of the top plan view represented in FIG. 1;

[0023]FIG. 4 shows a side view of the front view represented in FIG. 3;

[0024]FIG. 5 shows a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a syringe provided with a non-lengthened nozzle;

[0025]FIG. 6 shows a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a syringe provided with a lengthened nozzle;

[0026]FIG. 7 shows detail A of the front view represented in FIG. 6;

[0027]FIG. 8 shows a side view of the front view represented in FIG. 6;

[0028]FIG. 9 shows a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a part of a stylet with a stop;

[0029]FIG. 10 shows a cross sectional view along the line X-X of the top plan view represented in FIG. 9;

[0030]FIG. 11 shows a front view of the top plan view represented in FIG. 9;

[0031]FIG. 12 shows a side view of the front view represented in FIG. 11;

[0032]FIG. 13 shows a partly opened front view of the syringe provided with a non-lengthened nozzle in a position moved towards the needle; and

[0033]FIG. 14 shows a similar front view to FIG. 13 of the syringe provided with a lengthened nozzle in a condition of cooperation with the needle.

[0034] The exemplary embodiment comprises an assembly destined for administering a medicine present in a fluid to a patient. The assembly is provided with a hollow needle 1 and a syringe 7. The needle 1 is provided in a connector 2, arranged as a needle coupling means according to the Luer standard. Via a fluid channel 4, a conically tapering coupling opening 3 of this connector 2 is in fluid communication with the needle 1. To save space in axial direction, the cone-shaped receiving opening 3 is included in the interior of the connector. On a side of the connector 2 remote from the needle 1 a spacing projection 5 is present. Further, in the same side of the connector 2, there is a positioning recess 6, destined to receive, in use, a positioning projection 13 of a stylet 11 for the purpose of positioning the stylet 11 in the needle 1.

[0035]FIGS. 5 and 6 show a syringe 7 a, 7 b, respectively, provided with a non-lengthened and a lengthened nozzle 9 a, 9 b, respectively, conically tapering according to the Luer standard. Each syringe 7 a, 7 b comprises a fluid reservoir 8. A fluid passage 10 extends from the fluid reservoir 8, via the nozzle 9 a, 9 b, to an environment. The difference in length between the nozzles 9 a, 9 b is indicated with the arrow L.

[0036] The needle 1 and the syringe 7 b represented in the figures are destined for administration of a medicine in only one administering location, and preferably only for intraneural administration. As indicated in FIG. 13, the spacing projection 5 prevents the syringe 7 a provided with a non-lengthened nozzle 9 b from being brought in fluid-tight cooperation with the connector 2 of the needle 1. Only the syringe 7 b with the lengthened nozzle 9 b fits onto the connector 2, while the conical nozzle 9 b is close-fittingly slid into the conical coupling opening 3 of the connector 2. As the first mentioned syringe 7 a does not fit onto the connector 2 represented, erroneous administration, via the needle 1, of a medicine destined for a different administering location and with which the syringe 7 a is filled, is prevented. An additional advantage of the assembly is that it can also be used in combination with a number of other treatment means. For instance, the lengthened nozzle 9 b of the syringe 7 b can be used with a suction needle (not shown) provided with a coupling construction according to the Luer standard.

[0037] Further, the needle 1 can be used to perform an intraneural puncture for discharging a neural fluid such as cerebrospinal fluid to a collecting reservoir. Here, the needle 1 can be inserted and held such, that the cerebrospinal fluid can flow via the needle 1 and the connector 2 to the spacing projection 5. As the projection 5 is channel-shaped, the fluid can flow through the projection 5 and be discharged to the collecting reservoir which is held under the downstream end of the projection 5.

[0038] During the insertion of the needle and/or during the performance of such a puncture, generally, a stylet 11 is arranged in the needle 1, which is represented in FIGS. 9-12. The stylet 11 prevents contaminations from ending up in the needle 1 during the insertion of the needle 1 into the patient. To this end, the stylet 11 is designed such that it can be passed through the needle 1 to close off the inside space of the needle. An end of the stylet 11 is provided with a stop 12. This stop 12 comprises a cylindrical recess 14, and is provided on a side proximal to the stylet with the positioning projection 13 mentioned. The stylet 11 can be positioned in the needle 1 with the aid of the positioning projection 13 and recess 6. After insertion of the needle 1 the stylet 11 can be removed from the needle 1 again.

[0039] It is self-evident that the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment described, but that various modifications are possible within the framework of the invention. 

1. An assembly of a needle and a fluid supply device, the needle being provided with needle coupling means, the supply device being provided with a nozzle, and the needle coupling means comprising a standardized construction with standardized internal dimensions according to the Luer standard, characterized in that the needle coupling means (2) further comprise a projection (5), which renders fitting the needle (1) to a supply device (7 a) with a nozzle (9 a) arranged for cooperation with needle coupling means with standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard impossible, the nozzle (9 b) of the supply device (7 b) being lengthened relative to a standardized nozzle (9 a), such, that the needle coupling means (2) with the projection (5) can still be coupled to the lengthened nozzle (9 b).
 2. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the nozzle (9 b) extends from a fluid reservoir (8) of the supply device (7 b), wherein the length of the nozzle (9 b) from the free end to the reservoir (8) is more than approximately 10 mm, preferably at least 13 mm, the length of the projection (5) from the coupling part (2) to the free end of the projection (5) being at least approximately 6 mm.
 3. An assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the projection (5) extends along a circumference of a coupling opening (3) of the needle coupling means (2) which is arranged for cooperation with the lengthened nozzle (9 b), the projection (5) extending at most along half of the said circumference.
 4. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the projection (5) is channel-shaped such that in use, fluid coming from the needle (1) and the needle coupling means (2) can be discharged via the channel-shaped projection (5) to an environment for the purpose of collecting the fluid.
 5. A needle provided with needle coupling means, wherein the needle coupling means comprise a standardized construction with standardized dimensions according to the Luer standard, characterized in that the needle coupling means (2) further comprise a projection (5), which renders fitting the needle (1) to a supply device (7 a) with a nozzle (9 a) arranged for cooperation with needle coupling means with standardized construction and dimensions according to the Luer standard impossible.
 6. A needle according to claim 5, characterized in that the length of the projection (5), from the coupling part (2) to the free end of the projection (5) is at least approximately 6 mm.
 7. A needle according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the projection (5) extends along a circumference of a coupling opening (3) of the needle coupling means (2) which is arranged for cooperation with the lengthened nozzle (9 b), the projection (5) extending at most along half of said circumference.
 8. A needle according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that the projection (5) is of a channel-shaped design such that, in use, fluid coming from the needle (1) and the needle coupling means (2) can be discharged via the channel-shaped projection (5) to an environment.
 9. A syringe provided with a nozzle, characterized in that the nozzle (9 b) of the syringe is lengthened relative to a standardized nozzle (9 a) according to the Luer standard, such that the lengthened nozzle (9 b) can be coupled to needle coupling means (2) of a needle (1) according to any one of claims 5-8.
 10. A syringe according to claim 9, characterized in that the length of the nozzle (9 b) from the free end to the reservoir (8) is more than approximately 10 mm, preferably at least 13 mm.
 11. A method for performing an intraneural puncture for discharging a neural fluid such as cerebrospinal fluid to a collecting reservoir, characterized in that a needle (1), provided with needle coupling means (2) comprising a channel-shaped projection (5), is inserted and held such that the cerebrospinal fluid can flow from the needle (1) and the needle coupling means (2) through the channel-shaped projection (5) and is then collected in the collecting reservoir.
 12. A method for preparing an insertion device for intraneural administration, wherein a needle with a coupling means is coupled to a syringe, characterized in that the syringe (7 b) with a relatively long nozzle (9 b) is coupled to the coupling means (2), in fluid-tight cooperation, the nozzle (9 b) passing a projection (5) of the coupling means (2), which projection (5) keeps the nozzle (9 a) of a standard syringe (7 a) at a distance from the coupling means (2), such that when using a standard syringe (7 a) with the coupling means (2) no fluid-tight connection between the needle (1) and the syringe (7 a) can be obtained. 